This is the sophomore effort from Montréal, Québec, Canada emcee, producer & engineer Mike Shabb. Coming up in the spring of 2018 off his full-length debut Northwave, he would continue to make his presence known by putting out 6 EPs & his last couple of mixtapes before gaining notoriety for engineering Boldy James’ 5th album Fair Exchange No Robbery along with producing “Switches on Everything” off Hitler Wears Hermes X & enlisting his mentor Nicholas Craven to fully produce his 5th EP Shadow Moses from top to bottom. Hood Olympics & Sewaside III were both solid in their own rights, returning 10 months later with Shabb Van Gogh.
“breakadawn” is this self-produced jazz rap intro asking how you know so much about him when he ain’t ever been around you whereas “merry go round” takes the lo-fi boom bap route instrumentally to dirty dance harder than the late Patrick Swayze did. “underground legend” soulfully with co-production from Nicholas Craven addresses his legacy since his popularity keeps increasing while “Jank” hooks up these bare pianos showing a serious side to him dealing with pain.
As for “Krump”, we have Mike bringing the soul samples back in the fold to speak in Ebonics for a little over 2 minutes prior to “can’t wait” after the “brand new sound” interlude continuing to show off his sampling techniques talking about feeling important these days. “nothing is the same” maintains the soulfulness except he’s going drumless to discuss everything always changing, but then “crews pop” featuring Niontay unites the pair to talk about nobody fucking with them.
“splash bros” featuring Trapmat Savior has to be my favorite collaboration of the 2 making me hope they got a Splash Bros EP from them coming out like the Moncler Boyz did while “Van Gogh” talks about others getting pissed over his girl playing his music. “Disco Duck II” is a highly enjoyable sequel to the Hood Olympics standout & “Rope” strips the drums for the final moments calling the most wanted dead men.
Preparing himself for Hood Olympics 2 in a couple months from now, one of Montréal’s finest in recent memory comes off the 3rd & final installment of the Sewaside trilogy that came out last spring with an album that I find myself enjoying more than Northwave. Regardless if I found myself enjoying the other more than the first one, Mikea artistic growth in the last 7 years on the mic & as a producer is widely put on display for almost an half hour.
6 is a 34 year old producer from Bowie, Maryland notable for being the longtime in-house producer for Logic & his independent label Bobby Boy Records. They’ve known each other at least since 2009, putting out a debut mixtape of his own called the 6ixtape celebrating its 2-year anniversary this spring. Taking himself to the next level though, he’s bringing a whole list of performers on board to compile an official full-length studio debut album peaking interest for any Logic fans who love the work they’ve done with each other up until this point.
The first song “Why Should I?” by Guapdad 4000 & Juicy J after the intro was my favorite single of the 3 asking why should they give a fuck over a vibrant trap instrumental whereas “Roundabout” by Pardyalone & Phil Adé spaciously talks about being sick of these bitches in their living room. “Firmament” by Buddy, Blu & KYLE finds the trio suggesting that everyone listening to continue balling leading into “293” by D.R.A.M. & Guapdad showing a romantic side to them.
“WMD” by Logic heads for a jazzy boom bap direction with the beat getting in his shit-talking bag for a bit & after the interlude, the title track finishes the first leg of Homebody with a nearly 2-minute instrumental cut. “A Lot Like” by Bobby Boy Records artist Travis Stacey stylistically departs from hip hop in favor of rock music & pulling it off better than I would’ve expected, but then “Messi” by Jazz Cartier & TOBi keeps it on lock with a spacey trap heater.
Cousin Stizz & Felix team up on “Foreign” kinda throwing it back to The Neptunes in the early 2000s sonically while “What Do You Say?” by ChloTheGod heads for more of a neo-soul direction. “Raw” by Buddy, Blu, Joey Valence & Brae and KYLE fully embraces the boom bap sound to bring it hardcore while “Palace” by AQ & TK Rhodes smoothly gets back on the melodic tip. “Bright Lights” by KYLE & Skizzy Mars ahead of the outro finishes 6’s debut with a decently stripped back closer.
Meant to push himself out of his comfort zone, Logic’s longtime collaborator truly is a homebody by nature & the urge to step out & show the world more to who who he is finally reveals itself with a debut album that I personally find myself a little mixed on his. The versatile production revolving around trap, jazz rap, boom bap, R&B, rock is very tasteful since his talents behind the boards have always been there. My biggest complaint about it though is the inconsistency amongst the guests.
Ill Tone is a producer from Buffalo, New York known for his collaborations amongst the iconic underground labels Griselda Records, Drumwork Music Group & Black Soprano Family Records. His resume beyond that whole realm further includes the likes of Krayzie Bone & Project Pat, signing to B$F to put out an official debut album of his own through the local indie enterprise staying increasingly consistent with the output a week after Duffel Bag Hottie put out his new EP Shut Down the Dance Floor by recording his vocals through a prison phone.
After the Westside Gunn intro, the first song “Impossible” by Conway the Machine along with Jae Skeese & Rome Streetz fuses rap rock & boom bap doing what others thought couldn’t be done whereas the title track by Benny the Butcher ruggedly talks about his flow being unmatched when it is. “Supper Immaculate” by AZ & Elcamino doesn’t disappoint with its name since both of them kill it over some magnificent sampling & “Pick a Side” by Conway after the Ghostface Killah interlude talks about being either with them or against them.
Following the “Journey” skit, Benny gets another solo cut with “36oz & a Mercedes” discusses not being as humble as everyone else backed by this crooning soul sample just before “Raw Cain” by Elcamino reflects on the way things used to be for him back then. “The Mood” by Flee Lord & Gully talks about them holding it down for several blocks even if they don’t rule the world leading into “I See” by Elcamino & Player K soulfully promising the player shit coming with them when their time comes.
“Supreme Balla” by Elcamino & Smoke DZA brings a jazzy boom bap vibe to the table as both of them admitting that these weak MCs out here be pissing them off acting like they the shit when they’re gonna call them as they see them while “Punctuality” by The Black Abstract, Chase Fetti & Jae Skeese maintains the jazzily dusty flare talking about missing your future if you dwell on the past. “B.T.L.” by Elcamino, O.T. the Real & Stove God Cook$ ends with pure lyrical pressure from all 3 of them with some fresh ass sampling behind them.
Starring the deluxe run, “My Side of the Story” by Rick Hyde & Sule unites the pair to talk about the blood, sweat & tears that’ve led them to glory & no longer being ignored while “Colosseum Rap” by Elcamino & Fuego Base explains that this is for the men trying to get the bread & not for the suckas. The final bonus track “Kenny Solomon” by Jae Skeese & YoungstaCTP gets on some mobster shit instrumentally bridging the gap.
Showcasing the distinct sound of B$F that has drawn acclaim from critics & fans alike, Ill Tone’s full-length debut studio LP will easily stand until December as one of if not the best producer album that has come out in 2025 because the hard-hitting verses from a near-flawless list of guests over the Buffalo beatsmith’s dynamic production balancing boom bap, drumless, chipmunk soul, jazz rap & rap rock remain consistently aggressive from start to finish.
Whitechapel is a deathcore band from Knoxville, Tennesse consisting of drummer Brandon Zackey, lead guitarist Ben Savage, rhythm guitarist Alex Wade, the 3rd guitarist Zach Householder, bassist Gabe Crisp & frontman Phil Bozeman. They would later fit right in with Metal Blade Records following their debut The Somatic Defilement by putting out This is Exile, A New Era of Corruption,self-titled, Our Endless War & Mark of the Blade. Their last couple The Valley & Kin have proven to be their most acclaimed, returning after 6 years for the band’s 9th full-length studio LP.
“Prisoner 666” opens with this hellish deathcore intro bearing the number of the beast whereas the title track further integrates brutal palm-muted & tremolo-picked riffing, blast beat-focused drumming & guttural vocals with groovy breakdown sections coming to consume all the seas. “Diabolic Slumber” talks about life being a lie & suggesting that everyone meets their demise just before the lead single “A Visceral Reach” throws it back to The Somatic Defilement era.
After the “Ex Infernis” instrumental cut, “Hate Cult Ritual” begins the 2nd half revealing themselves as disciples of hate as well as rage & murder leading into “The Abysmal Gospel” talks about having a silver tongue continuing to fuse death metal & metalcore together. “Bedlam” reassures everyone listening that they’ll never be reborn descending towards the mouth of failure & doubt while “Mammoth God” talks about his greed growing strong. “Nothing’s Coming for Any of Us” ends with 1 more deathcore track revolving around nothing being real.
It’s really a sequel to This is Exile, but the band residing in the same city that made former 3-time WWE women’s world champion & 2-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair returns to their heavier roots prominently shown throughout their earlier material on Hymns in Dissonance following the story of a cultist who’s gathering worthy people to join his cult including moments in the storyline where the cult followers are singing an evil hymn to open a portal for the head cultist to enter. Some of the characteristics that made The Somatic Defilement so special notably seep their way throughout the dynamic, brutal musicality backing the compelling lyrical story.
Dough Networkz is a music management executive & underground hip hop curator from Inglewood, California notable for having the duo DirtyDiggs produce his full-length studio debut LP Above Cloud Vision in the summer of 2019. He even helped curate an East to West compilation from Lord Mobb Music about a year & a half ago, turning the sophomore effort here into a double album except both discs were released a week apart from each other.
“Niyyah” by Osbe Chill & Tek is a soulful intro talking about being strong & wrong simultaneously whereas “A Day Late & $1 Short” by Boldy James & Trizz featuring Jay Worthy on the remix was a great lead single linking up to boast they’ve been getting money since prior to them getting laid for the first time. “Fake Dead” by Jason Martin formerly known as Problem, Jayson Cash & WeSSmont SSkeme brings a west coast vibe with Jason Martin having the best verse while “Dreamin’” by Big Twins soulfully feels like the hood is his.
Conway the Machine & Sirrealist join forces for the gully boom bap joint “Sawed Off” talking about getting your nose blown the fuck off if you stick it where it shouldn’t be leading into the cloudy “3 Hours Past Noon” by Jay Worthy boasts that it ain’t a party until he pulls up to the spot. The soulful “Never Knew” by Jameel Na’im X, King Akeem & Young Roddy admitting they didn’t think the love the trio have would be the way it is & “Sunsets Over Inglewood” by Domo Genesis featuring Smoke DZA on the remix proved to be another great single choice representing the southwest.
“Old Rules” by N8NOFACE angrily gives a middle finger to the kids who be calling him an old head when he feels like you should rightfully have pride in your shit just before “Automatic Lovers” by Airplane James & The Jack Moves switches gears stylistically departing from hip hop in favor of a smooth soul ballad. “Rap Camp” by Ab-Soul, Baron Davis, Dazy Lyn, LaRussell, Malachi & Mani Coolin is this cool 7 & a half minute posse cut while “Crime Networkz” by Crimeapple & RLX feels reminiscent of their recent collab album Los Pollos Hermanos.
Tha God Fahim jumps on top of this haunting instrumental throughout “Eyes of the Beholder” doing squats with the weight of the world on his shoulders while “Goodbye Twice” by Baron Davis & T.F. soulfully talks hitting the parlay like it’s Uncut Gems. The song “Lil Bobby” by Hyde Park Firebug & Traffic discusses the realest shit meaning more to them & “Play Your Role” by Cala the Prophet & Eastside K-Boy offers nothing more than advice.
“Don’t” by Drebo sets off Side B with a west coast g-funk banger with a hook reminiscent of the late, great Nate Dogg carrying over elements from that era onto “Black Bentley” by Black C & Lil Woofy Woof except both of them are showing off their gang ties. “Player Made” by Brodie Fresh & The Musalini hops over a sample to talk about them being the players they are while “Beverly Hills Car Club” by AJ Snow finds therapy within wiping down the rims of his ride.
Osbe Chill & Rome Streetz appear for the crooning “However” talking about getting rich while “Phone Call from Dough” by Westside Webb jazzily making it clear that he really be hustling & flowing out here staying in his own zone. “Cash Rules” by Kai Ca$h goes boom bap so he can explain that money talks while “West to East” by Flee Lord & MC Eiht perfectly represents both Queens, New York & the city of Compton, California.
“Sticks & Scars” by Da$h & Win or Lose Records has a slower boom bap tone realizing that the payback is way past due the way they see it while “Mika & Sef” by Baron Davis & 2-1 keeps it in the basement showing off the different type of skill they’ve already mastered. “Center of Change” by Chance Infinite grittily performs prayers instead of a seance in the middle of chaos observing the devils having awareness of being wrong & “Designer Drugs” by Jonah Love makes me feel like I’m listening to Boldy James.
Mitchy Slick & Trizz come together to make “Money on the Fly” backed by a sample while “The Invitation” by Vel 9 finds her drifting on a star. The song “No Fronts” by Huey Bliss cloudily talks being reliant on his clientele & “Where We Are” by Sadat X opens up on only needing a few individuals by his side rather than a whole army with these piano chords playing behind him. “Time is Now” by Big Cheeko & JAY NiCE closes Side B with them talking about what a shame it is that people act lame & gossip.
After the “Follow Your Dreamz” skit, “Clearing My Mind” by G Perico starts the deluxe run with a drumless sample looking to free himself mentally while “3 for 50” by O.T. the Real soulfully talks about trappin’ since his halfway house days. “Allahu A Lem” by Osbe Chill & Tha God Fahim teams up together again to discuss God eternally knowing best while the funky “Black Business” by All Hail Y.T. & EDIDON talks about African American entrepreneurship.
“Came from the Bottom” by Morray cloudily admits to the mistake of bringing too much fake in his mix & not having anything growing up while “Cocaine Heroin” by G4 Jag & T.F drumlessly talks about pushin’ weight. “Darkside” by Reaper Mook continues the bare sampling to state he was in the trap too long because he felt like it was the only way while LIFEOFTHOM’s title track bodies a jazzy boom bap beat for 112 seconds.
After the “Follow Your Vision” spoken word interlude, “Handle Business” by Southside Vic smoothly talks about running up the money with bad ambition & his girl’s response when he told her he was in the lab while “It’s a Compton Thang” by Mari Ruger & MC Eiht represents their hometown with a g-funk flare. “Limo Tints” by Jay Worthy & Tiona Deniece experiments with trap soul hoping to make haters sick with their success while “Stronger Than My Pain” by EDIDON & Tha God Fahim talks about there being no love lost because it doesn’t cost shit.
Warren Wint gets introspective over some keys during “Out My Window” simply trying to survive around his parts livin’ to get by while “Triumph” by Bale & Neko Brim soulfully talks about this sounding like a victory lap to them. “Patterns” by Boldy James, Grafh & T.F. unites so each of them can describe livin’ like legitimate gangsters while the funky “Sliding” by B-Legit & LE$ talks about tying up anyone who tries to mess with their bread.
“Paisa” by El Nino switches up with a full-blown Latin rap song backed by a classy instrumental while “Yote Networkz” by Coyote makes up for it’s minute & a half brevity with both LadiesLoveGuapo & Ricky Blanco spitting aggressive verses in that matter of time. “Sushi” by Sirrealist & Starz Coleman prefers to peak out the window like Malcolm instead of turning the other cheek while the final bonus track is pretty much Win or Lose Records speaking “Straight from the Heart”.
Since both discs of Dis for the Project are finally in front of us now, it reveals itself to be an exciting double LP following up on Dough Networkz’ official debut Above Cloud Vision. I prefer the production that NoyOne & J.R. cooked up 6 years ago, except I appreciate the quality list of performers that he had to bring on board whether it be established veterans or some lesser-known names looking break down the wall of obscurity & get themselves out there.
Doodlebug is a 58 year old MC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania notable for being 1/3 of the Digable Planets. Following their disbandment, he would branch out in favor of a solo career beginning with his 2011 debut Futuristic Sci-Fi as well as The Expendables & more recently The Calidelphian roughly a decade after Futuristic Sci-Fi dropped. West coast duo 80 Empire are officially joining him for a new collaborative LP & have signed a deal with Fat Beats Records to help put it out into the universe.
After the “Galactic Intro”, the first song “Outtaspace Connection” is a funky romance tune throwing it back to Zapp during the hook talking about the laws of attraction whereas “Breathe” slickly talks about his passion for drums coming from his uncle having a drum set at his grandmother’s house growing up. “Mother Earth is Dying” jazzily discusses our planet slowly deteriorating leading into “Spread Love (Communicate)” talks about positivity & communication.
Shabazz Palaces joins Doodlebug for “Deliveries” letting it be known what they stay constantly running & getting paid off of these days while “Amore” soulfully gets back on the themes of romance. “Time Keeps Slipping” featuring Nejma Nefertiti finds the pair talking about life flying by the way does just before “Intergalactic Love Supreme” featuring YaH-Ra spaciously speaks on love once again.
“I Am” featuring Emma Lee M.C. & Skrewtape unites the trio they can demand that you obey the empire, but then “Nothing Lasts Forever” featuring Bone Crusher & KXNG CROOKED officially concludes A Galactic Love Supreme with all 3 of them cooking up what could possibly be my favorite collaboration reminding us all that there isn’t a single thing out there that’ll last until eternity.
Sir Analog & Duke of Digital both really nailed it helping Doodlebug make a provocative body of musical escapism with every song revealing itself to be a different painting making the canvas at its core hip hop although it’s meticulously textured with so many other influences from jazz to soul music. Reminiscent of a time when music’s sole obligation was to make you feel good & think critically, they portray a healthy marriage of analog & digital or nostalgia meeting contemporary.
This is the 9th full-length studio LP from Toronto, Ontario, Canada rapper Tory Lanez. Blowing up a decade ago off The New Toronto mixtape, he ended up signing with Interscope Records the following year & releasing a total of 4 albums until departing at the beginning of 2020. Daystar that same fall gaslight everyone after shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot & if that wasn’t enough, we’re getting a successor 5 years later after teasing it with multiple singles last summer.
After the intro, the first song “Free Me” calls for his freedom due to him having a family & some homies who need him advising to not let your emotions supercede your intelligence whereas “Sneeze Wrong” talks about the game not being based around sympathy & finding his way home until he loses himself. “White Lightning” finds himself getting drunk in his cell off that moonshine while “Guide Me Through the Storm” talks about needing God more than ever.
“9$ide / Amethyst” is a 2-parter with the 2nd half of it sounding rather unfinished compared to the other & after the “MAWA” interlude, “Lunch Tray” promises that shit won’t ever be the same again once he comes home. “$ailor Moon” has one of the better instrumentals courtesy of araabMUZIK dissing a woman who fucked his dog after becoming incarcerated just before “Verdict Day” reflects on the very day he was found guilty.
After the “Lawyer Fees” interlude, the actual Lawyer Fees” song itself admits that he doesn’t have the money he needs since he’s down bad & his pockets are currently light leading into “Slipping & Falling” coming off as a decent homage to one of the late DMX’s most popular cuts “Fallin’”. We get treated to a couple more 2-parter with the first “Charlie Row / Wishing Well” having a more repetitive 2nd half, but then both halves of “Phone Secs / FaceTime” feel fully complete except the themes of love portrayed don’t do it for me.
“T.D.F (Turn Down Fades) / County Jail” produced by Lex Luger has to be my favorite 2-part joint on the album rejecting any fades that come his way & asking where everyone was when he was fucked up in the county while “Gangland / Fargentina 4EVR” featuring WolfGang Petersen finds the 2 being fed up with these bitches playing with them. “I Fucked a Lady Cop” tells a female officer that she’s his best kept secret while “My Shayla / SPICE-RILLA” featuring D$TNY responds to being served restraining order papers in his cell.
The track “Back Out$ide” featuring SOS oddly begins the encore of Peterson by defending disgraced Bad Boy Entertainment founder Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy ahead of his trial a couple months from now & after TB’s interlude, “Free Tory” wraps up the Daystar sequel by promising to God that he’ll be released from prison at some point later on in 2025 & even if I personally am not so sure of it, we’ll just have to find out for ourselves in due time.
Tory’s 5 Fingers of Death freestyle on Sway’s Universe back in 2018 epitomizes the amount of talent he has & it’s a shame that he hasn’t put anything out channeling that same energy since. Peterson for being a continuation of his most panned body of work isn’t as bad as the predecessor albeit it almost is. I’d be lying if I said the production wasn’t only a smidge above Daystar almost half a decade ago this fall & his performances for a good run of it are subpar.
Lady Gaga is a 38 year old singer/songwriter, actress & Haus Labs founder from New York City breaking out into stardom in 2008 off her full-length debut The Fame after signing to Konvict Kulture & Interscope Records. Her debut EP The Fame Monster & the sophomore effort Born This Way later inspiring the name of the Born This Way Foundation marked her final offering for Konvict, remaining on Interscope for Artpop along with Joanne & Chromatica. Her previous LP Harlequin was better than Joker 2: Folie a Deux itself, coming off the disappointing film for her 7th studio album.
“Disease” draws from electropop, dance-pop, midtempo bass, French electro & futurepop singing about making sinners into believers whereas “Abracadabra” works in elements of dance-pop, electro house, electropop, acid house, hardbag & French electro facing the challenge of life, the challenge of the night & finding the magic in it all. “Garden of Eden” produced by Gesaffstein maintains the dance pop vibes mirroring Adam & Eve’s biblical paradise prior to “Perfect Celebrity” serving as the theme song of the current WWE Women’s Champion & former NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton’s upcoming WrestleMania XLI match against 14-time WWE women’s champion, 2-time NXT Women’s Champion & WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair making some stunning commentary on the manufacturing of those types of celebrities.
Moving on from there, “Vanish Into You” sings about wanting to merge into a singular identity of her partner’s in order to insulate herself from the worldly emotions just before the synth-funk “Killah” pushes herself out of her comfort zone swing herself as a killer both in a literal & metaphorical state. “Zombieboy” remembers her late friend Rick Gernest who passed away in the summer of 2018 with celebration of the nights when fun leads to feeling like a zombie the next morning, but then “LoveDrug” basically comparing the feeling of love to an addictive substance.
“How Bad Do You Want Me?” questions how much her partner loves her in the midst of him dreaming about another person while “Don’t Call Tonight” goes for a warm pop rock flare suggesting not to hit her line unless the targeted individual wants to cause her harm. The irresistibly catchy “Shadow of a Man” sings about not wanting to be under the darkness tonight & to have the light shown to her while “The Beast” shows her evil alter ego telling her partner to colloquially free the beast from within him.
The track “Blade of Grass” dedicates this moment to her fiancé Michael Polansky recalling conversations of proposals in their backyard & simply wrapping a blade of grass around her finger would be her act of grace until “Die with a Smile” featuring Bruno Mars ends fusing pop soul, pop rock, soft rock, adult contemporary & piano rock really crossing over “Shallow” off the A Star is Born soundtrack & Bruno’s work with Anderson .Paak of the duo Silk Sonic wanting to be with each other during the end of the world.
“Can’t Stop the High” starts the deluxe run mixes electro & grunge music for a harder successor to “Perfect Celebrity” while “The Dead Dance” meshes nu-disco, dance-pop, synthwave, synth-funk & electropop to sing about music’s ability to save the lives of others. The final bonus track “Kill for Love” finishes with somewhat of a spiritual successor to “The Beast” in the sense of the werewolf she was speaking of is replying back to her dismissing the idea of wearing it’s disguise.
Stemming from a period of deep introspection & personal challenges, Lady Gaga celebrates her love for music by bringing together a wide variety of genres, styles & different dreams from a place of joy. The production built around dance-pop, electropop, nu-disco, pop rock, synthpop, soft rock, adult contemporary & piano rock, synth-funk, electro house, acid house, hardbag, French electro, midtempo bass & futurepop results in the most memorable songs that’s she’s written in roughly 15 years embarking on a transgressive journey through genres reflecting her diverse musical influences & life experiences.
Deep Sea Diver are an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington consisting of drummer Peter Mansen, guitarist Elliot Jackson, bassist Garrett Gue & frontwoman Jessica Dobson. Their 2012 debut History Speaks followed by Secrets & Impossible Weight were all solid in their own rights, eventually garnering the interest of the biggest local indie label Sub Pop Records & them fittingly signing the hometown act for their 4th full-length studio album in their discography having the potential to become their most important one ever.
The title track mixes indie rock, dream pop, neo-psychedelia, indie pop, new wave & post-punk revival together singing about welcoming the future by letting go of it whereas the existentially tongue-in-cheek “What Do I Know?” asks why Jessica feels so complicated. “Emergency” turns the punk influences back up warning she doesn’t anyone shit when she really doesn’t while “Shovel” blends new wave, post-punk revival & alternative dance gets at Jessica’s most angular & dualistic.
“Tiny Threads” comes through with a sweeping anthem for anyone trying to hold anything together just before “Loose Change” brings a heavy singer/songwriter vibe to the table with it’s acoustic heavy sound singing about all of us standing up to our mistakes. “Always Waving Goodbye” goes for their signature indie pop/indie rock sound hoping that we all stop hiding one day while “Let Me Go”featuring Madison Cunningham stands out with them giving flowers to PJ Harvey.
To begin the encore of Deep Sea Diver’s official Sub Pop debut, “Be Sweet” calls for everyone to give her more flowers than she can take only for the sole purpose of smelling them in the flesh & promising we’ll survive the bullshit in the past month or so while “See in the Dark” sings about having the ability of having night vision & there being no need for anyone else around her to find another way out. “Happiness Isn’t a Given” concludes the band’s most exciting offering perceiving joy as not being specified.
For a personal breakthrough that prompted an artistic one, Billboard Hearts exemplifies Seattle’s biggest label signing the local act & they hand them a defiant & brilliant exclamation mark at the end of a long period of wandering. They expand the indie rock/indie hybrids they’re known for venturing out in favor of new wave, synthpop, shoegaze, garage rock revival, post-punk revival, singer/songwriter & dream pop peeling back a renewed self of self Jessica has.
Here we have the 10th studio LP from Bronx, New York rapper Jim Jones. A member of The Diplomats in the 2000s, his first 5 full-lengths from 2004-2011 had some highlights in them even if they were all average at best as whole albums. However it wouldn’t be until 2018 after dropping Wasted Talent where he would really start putting out his best material ever & then came out with his magnum opus the following year El Capo. El Capo 2 & the Harry Fraud-produced The Fraud Department continued the acclaim up until the Hitmaka-produced Back in My Prime proved to be disappointing. Over 2 decades after his debut, he’s arrived At the Church Steps.
“Jomo” produced by 1982 is actually a great sample-driven opener to get us started reminding everyone who he is 21 years later whereas “Genesis” fuses gospel & trap courtesy of Jim himself talking about half these dudes out here being broke to the point where they can’t pay their debts. “Seen It All” discusses getting it all in & never falling because of his shoes being tied, but then “Make It Out” maintains a trap vibe thanks to Hitmaka talking about him & Cam’ron falling out with each other again a month ago.
Conway the Machine & Keen Streetz join Jimmy for “Walking on Business” working in a boom bap instrumental to follow through with their actions & sticking to their values just before “White Lines” talks about being obsessed with spending money & refusing to back down for anybody. “Call on Me” goes for a solemn trap vibe again with the help of Smatt Sertified feeling like the world’s falling on him leading into “Opp Thot” featuring Fabolous talks about the L only being a loss if you’ve learned your lesson.
“This Shit Still in Harlem” embraces the Brooklyn drill sound representing the Manhattan neighborhood further proving Cam’s point that he isn’t from Harlem at all while “Dope Boy” featuring Keen Streetz ominously suggests to let them do their dance. “Cinema” featuring Fivio Foreign & Keen Streetz takes another shot at the New York Drill sound missing the landing even harder than previously & after the “Ray Ray” skit, “Back in My Bag” returns to the boom bap getting in the mix again.
Dave East appears with Jim on “What’s Going On?” so both of them can break down shit being different nowadays while “Back in the Day” by The Lobby Boyz keeps the traditional boom bap sound in tact getting reflective. “End of Summer” atmospherically asks God to make space in heaven for him & “Church Steps” ends with a gospel-inspired closer that The Heatmakerz cooked up talking about arriving at the steps of a place of worship.
“Outside” starts the deluxe run with Ron Browz going sample drill behind the boards talking about being out here with that shit on while “Shop” offers a weak take on cloud rap pointing out that some like to take out fires & others letting them burn. “Walk with Me” featuring Keen Streetz cavernously talks about their street mentality & legitimacy while the industrial hip hop joint “Fashion Killa” shows off his taste in drip.
Keen Streetz links back up with Jimmy on “Hoodie Season” providing an average anthem for that specific time of year when it starts to get cold out while “Hustlers” featuring Keen Streetz jazzily talks about being go-getters. “Swerv” featuring G Herbo takes another jab at sample drill doing it just as good as “Outside” did earlier while the trap rock hybrid “Civil Rights” shows a more conscious side to the Vamplife Records founder.
“Ring” slickly pleads for someone to call him while the underwhelming “Skin” fails in terms of an attempt at sexy drill. “Deep End” featuring Rick Ross intriguingly shows off their riches while “No Love” featuring YG shows absolutely 0 affection for these bitches while “Vamp Ooter’s” featuring Dilla illa & 34Zeussy doesn’t represent the VL label that well personally. The final bonus track “Flu Game” featuring Trinidad Jame$ is only slightly better, soulfully talking about being ok.
Some of the singles building up to At the Church Steps including the feature-heavy tracklist truly had me a bit torn on the sequel to the ByrdGang leader’s solo debut unlike the high praise I gave to El Capo, El Capo 2 & The Fraud Department. Now that I’ve actually heard the whole entire thing, I’m still a little iffy on it. Jim’s growth in the past 2 decades is there, except a lot of the hooks are cringe & some of the production tends to falter occasionally.
Legends Will Never Die 